Purpose To enhance customer experiences, firms are increasingly adding human-like features to their self-service technology (SST) machines. To that end, the purpose of the present study is to examine customer interactions with an anthropomorphic machine in a service failure context. Specifically, the authors investigate the joint effects of machine voice, an individual’s sense of power and the presence of other customers in influencing customers’ switching intentions following an SST failure. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the authors used a quasi-experimental design in which they manipulated voice type (anthropomorphic vs robotic) and the presence of other customers (present vs absent) in video-based scenarios while measuring customers’ sense of power. The scenarios reflected a service failure experience with a self-service kiosk at an airport. The authors tested the hypotheses using PROCESS analyses with the Johnson–Neyman technique. Findings Consumer reactions to SST failures vary depending on the degree of anthropomorphism associated with an SST machine, an individual’s sense of power and the presence of other customers. Research limitations/implications Field inquiry and an investigation in other SST contexts or of other anthropomorphic features are needed to generalize the findings. Practical implications Service providers targeting powerful consumers should consider the social presence of others when incorporating anthropomorphic features into their SST facilities. Originality/value This study is the first to examine consumer responses to service failures in an anthropomorphic SST context.

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Online reviews have become one of the most influential information sources for consumer decision making. The current research aims to contribute to our understanding of the following question: When consumers are faced with multiple online reviews with mixed information, do they turn to various peripheral factors in order to form their prepurchase evaluations? This study focuses on two types of peripheral factors: motivational state and incidental cue. Results from two experimental studies suggest that information load has a dual function in influencing the effectiveness of peripheral cues, depending on which peripheral cue is used in hand. Findings of this study have important implications for social media marketers. Given distinct levels of information load (high vs. low), different types of peripheral cues should be incorporated strategically in an effort to influence consumers' purchase intentions.

This study focuses on the elicitation and consequences of consumer embarrassment in service interactions. As customer embarrassment potentially induces negative word-of-mouth intentions, it is necessary for management to understand the antecedents of consumer embarrassment and provide prevention/recovery strategies. Following a role theory perspective, we identified three potential elements for embarrassment: a vague service script, mishap from the target customer and his/her realization of the mishap, and the presence of fellow customers. We further propose that the attribution of mishap, the number of fellow customers, and the familiarity among the fellow customers will interactively contribute to the elicitation of embarrassment. Further, we propose that embarrassed consumers are more likely to initiate negative word-of-mouth intentions. Adopting an experimental design, we test the proposed hypothesis and provide results, managerial implications and discussions for limitation and directions of future research.